Tag: country

As far as country-music impresario Jim Halsey is concerned, the city of Claremore is a perfect place for an exhibition on his famed client and friend, Roy Clark. After all, Clark not only deeply admired Claremore’s favorite son, the celebrated Will Rogers; he was also, in 2005, grand marshall of the town’s annual Will Rogers Days parade.  “Roy was a...

In our current book, Twentieth-Century Honky-Tonk, co-writer Brett Bingham and I devote a good number of pages to the role Tulsa played in the development and popularization of the music that came to be known as western swing. The Oklahoma part of the story started after bandleader Bob Wills brought his group, the Playboys, across the Red River, changing...

In the midst of numerous rescheduled performances, you can still enjoy a smattering of events on the stage this June. Signature Symphony performs Classics – Beethoven 5 on June 27 at the TCC Van Trease PACE. Highlighting Ludwig van Beethoven’s most frequently played and most recognized composition, this concert also offers the Hummel Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major for classical...

FiveMoments that Changed Musical History There’s a fundamental question about whether Oklahoma is musically different from any other state. Maybe people in Springfield, Missouri, or Little Rock, Arkansas, or, say, Bangor, Maine, also feel that their homegrown artists deserve more respect than they’ve received. Regardless, one assertion has been made hundreds or thousands of times, especially by people familiar with Tulsa’s...

For some years, at precisely 8:30 a.m., Claremore’s Ray Bingham has gotten a phone call from veteran country-music star Leroy Van Dyke, known for classic hits like “The Auctioneer” and “Walk on By.” With few exceptions, this happens every morning of Bingham’s life. “I’ll get that call from Leroy no matter where he is,” Bingham says. “Now, if he’s out...

Oklahoma concert venues offer a little of everything this month – country crooning, comedy, pop and hard rock, and rockabilly. Relive the 1990s when the Backstreet Boys hit the BOK Center stage Aug. 28. Tulsa’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino hosts country music duo Sugarland on Aug. 1, rockers 38 Special on Aug. 4, Terry Fator on Aug. 17, and...

Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City sizzles this month. Country musician Kenny Chesney peforms May 4, followed by 1990s boy-band sensation New Kids on the Block on May 18. Pop icon Ariana Grande rounds out the month May 23. Visit chesapeakearena.com for tickets.

The exterior of a new Edmond residence has an upscale, sophisticated design, which is “exactly what the homeowners wanted,” says Andrew French, owner of French Construction Co. That’s definitely the first impression the homeowners wanted to make … but step across the threshold into the large entry and there’s a warm, comfortable, inviting aura. The entry sets the stage for...